Drežnica – a fairy tale village embraced by Mt. Krn
The memory of Drežnica village panorama below the mighty mountain Krn, with the unusually large church of St. Heart of Jesus, will last forever …
Walking to Drežnica from Kobarid
There is a main road that takes you out of the town Kobarid, towards the Napoleon Bridge across the Soča river. From there, the uphill part starts – a total 5 km walk will take between one hour and one hour and a half.
If you decide to drive to Drežnica – from Kobarid it won’t take more than 15 minutes to get there. During summer season you can also take a hop-on-hop-off bus (ask about it at the Kobarid Tourist Information Centre).
The picturesque Drežnica lies at an altitude of about 560 meters.
Drežnica is especially popular with paragliders – its position above the Soča valley makes it possible to sail with all four winds. The Ročica and Stopica streams run past village, and there are the beautiful waterfalls Sopot and Krampež a short walk away. It’s easy to find peace here, but there’s no lack of opportunities for hiking and recreation, either.
Lovers of herbs and everything that grows around Drežnica will come across a real treasure trove here.
Traces of WW1 and a private museum collection
Like the entire Soča region, Drežnica was most marked by the First World War. Thus, under Mt. Krn, you will not only find shepherds with livestock, but also trenches, tunnels – and other visible traces of the war in which the lives of Slovenian boys and men were extinguished, regardless of the side of the front.
In the middle of the village there is an interesting house with the museum collection of “Botognice” – a rich historical (WWI) and ethnological collection which was put together by a local man Mirko Kurinčič. It’s absolutely amazing what he has amassed, if he’s home he will be happy to show his collection to visitors.
Drežnica carnival mask is about “the ugly ones “. A maniacal grin, a big sharp nose, huge lips, a lolling long tongue, shaggy sheepskin and ram horns.
Lovers of history and ethnology will also get their boost in Drežnica – the place is characterized by, among other things, the unique Drežnica carnival masks.
Mirko Kurinčič
Drežnica 22a
SI – 5222 Kobarid
T: +386 5 384 86 01
M: +386 31 743 023
Church of the Heart of Jesus
As mentioned, the most dominant building is the church of St. Heart of Jesus. It was erected on the site of the former church of St. George. It was blessed in 1912 and remained unharmed despite the battles of First World War.
The church is a mighty three-naval building with a frontage and an entering staircase. When entering the church, the visitor is overwhelmed by the magnificence of the room.
Painter Ema Galli portrayed apostles on the lateral walls of the main nave before the actual painting of the church, which was performed in 1942 by Slovene academic painters Avgust Černigoj and Zoran Mušič. The Sacred Heart, surrounded by angels and pilgrims, is depicted on the wall behind the high altar.
Besides the prominent church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Drežnica, there is yet another sacral monument worth seeing in the area, named the Church of St. Just in the nearby village Koseč.
The Church of St. Just is one of the oldest sacral monuments in the region, with some amazing frescoes inside, dating to 14th century.
Standing in the shade of an old tree at the end of the village, here the sound of silence can only be interrupted by some rare visitors, and their humble prayers and earthly desires.
